Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: The War of Shadows
by EagleTsubasa
Summary: Moriya Takeo was born the new Herald of the Gentle Darkness, and Judai welcomes the task of watching over him, but they soon find themselves in conflict with the inhabitants of another dimension who are intent on finishing what they started long ago—destroying Earth. Can Takeo and his friends defeat the threat, even with Judai's resentment of one Earth's best chances for survival?
1. Prologue

Prologue

 _Thank you so much for coming to give this story a chance. I'd like to thank DarkMaster1117 for giving me his opinion on this story before I wrote it. It's always helpful to have people give me their opinions so that I can better myself. Finally, I'd like to thank all of you who have come to read this story. I feel really good about this plot, and you have no idea how much people like you mean to me. I hope this story lives up to your expectations, and I hope that, even with my lack of skills, I can fulfil the potential that this story has._

 _Unfortunately, I will not be accepting requests to use your characters or plots purely for the fact that I do not feel that I have either the right nor the skill to use them, and I cannot write the plots and characters of others as vividly as I would my own. I feel as though the quality of the story would be negatively impacted if I were to take on something like that. For that, I apologise._

 _Nevertheless, once again, thank you for clicking on this story and giving it a chance. It's thanks to you all that I continue my hobby of writing for others, and you have no idea how much that means to me. Now, without further ado, I welcome you to Yu-Gi-Oh! GX – The War of Shadows. I hope that you enjoy it._

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or any aspect of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. Yu-Gi-Oh! is the product of Takahashi Kazuki and TV Tokyo.**_

* * *

I can't describe how I felt at that moment. I was as though I was tired, wet and cold one moment, and then, suddenly…

 _Nothing._

That's what it was. Nothing.

It was like I was surrounded in a sort of calming darkness, and then all sensation disappeared, draining from my body and seeping into the darkness around me, never to return—the darkness that failed ever so much to soothe me as thoughts rushed through my head.

Who was I? Where did all of the sensation that I previously had go? Why didn't I feel human, as I thought I ought to?

Suddenly, I remembered as though the information was easily trickling back into my mind with little to no effort, and the answers suddenly seemed so simple, and yet so complicated all at the same time. I was human and I wasn't. I was mortal and I wasn't. I had felt this lack of sensation what felt like a million times before, and yet, the most important thing seemed to elude me. Once again, I was brought back to the exact same question, and the answers that had come to me so simply only served to make me ask more questions, and it didn't help that the trickle of information seemed to have slowed to a stop.

If I'm not human, and I'm not inhuman, what am I? If I'm mortal, and I'm not immortal, what am I?

 _Who am I?_

The trickle didn't restart. I was left with no further answers as, all of a sudden, my surroundings warped and a blinding white light flooded in, yet I was not dazzled, and I felt no need to shield my eyes from it, although it was still marginally more unsettling than the darkness that I had been floating in, free to think my own thoughts without disruption.

My surroundings seemed to warp and, as opposed to the darkness where I could not tell whether I was facing up or down, I found myself standing in a large room with a blue-tiled floor, cream walls, and metal tables and shelves covered with medical apparatus, sunlight seeping through the windows.

A new sound assaulted my ears where there was none before. It was one that I recognised, and yet it caused a strange emotion to blossom within me—one that I could not yet place for reasons that I couldn't understand. Nevertheless, I turned, feeling compelled to do so, and what I saw should have been familiar, but yet it was something that I felt oddly detached from.

A woman in a green hospital gown lay in a bed with blue sheets, the metal sides of the bed pulled up. Her long brown hair was soaked with what I believed to be sweat, and her brown eyes seemed to twinkle with delight. A tall man with black hair stood over her, wearing a brown jacket, a black shirt, blue jeans and a pair of fancy black shoes. His grey eyes, shimmering with joy and unshed tears, were looking down at the same thing that the woman was staring at—a small bundle that she held carefully in her arms.

As the woman smiled down at the bundle, wrapping the blue blankets around it further, I found myself able to place the sound. It was the crying of a baby, and it felt odd that I hadn't realised it sooner. Placing the thought aside, I decided that my own predicament was far more important.

"Um… Excuse me… Can you tell me where I am…?" I asked uncertainly, knowing that such a question would no doubt be seen as unusual. What I didn't expect, though, was that neither the man, nor the woman, would react. "Excuse me!" I repeated louder, encountering the same problem. Nobody looked at me.

I walked up to the couple and attempted to place a hand on the woman's shoulder in the hopes that I would get her attention, only to get a shock as my hand seemed to phase right through her body. She shuddered, pulling the blankets even closer around the baby in her arms.

"It's getting chilly, Yoshiro…" she muttered in confusion before looking up at the man. "Is a window open?"

"Chilly? I think it's fine, Harumi." The man—Yoshiro-san—looked around him. "No. The window is closed. Maybe you're just tired."

"Perhaps…" Harumi-san trailed off again as I finally pulled my hand back, the woman shuddering once more.

I inspected my hand for the first time, noticing how translucent it appeared. I looked down at the rest of my body, noting my black shirt, red jacket with white trimming grey jeans, and black and red shoes, all of which also took on a translucent appearance. I placed a hand on my own chest, watching how it didn't pass through, yet how I also felt no sensation.

Was I dead? Was I never alive to begin with? Was this all a dream?

No answers, yet again. The baby cried harder and Harumi-san attempted to rock it to sleep, but she seemed to be unable to do so, opting instead to utter sweet nothings which didn't help any more than her rocking did.

"Takeo," she suddenly said, sounding confident, her smile widening.

"Hm?" the man responded having been distracted by the wailing child.

"Takeo. Moriya Takeo. We should call him that." Harumi-san grinned, no doubt pleased with herself.

"Takeo…" Yoshiro-san paused to consider it before breaking into a large smile. "It's a good name. You're always good with this kind of thing, Harumi."

The woman let out a sunny giggle before looking back down at the little boy. I found myself making my way over to the other side of the bed to stand beside Yoshiro and get a good look at the child, floating more than walking as I did so.

"Takeo-kun… huh…?" I muttered absently.

The crying stopped. I blinked in confusion. While part of me thought that it was impossible, another part of me thought that I had been the one to stop the crying. I leaned over the child for a better look, noting his chubby red cheeks, tiny hands, and the tuft of brown hair on his head. I cocked my head slightly, trying to figure out what had happened and was compelling me to come closer to this child.

"Takeo-kun?" I repeated, watching as the child, still blind and with his little eyes closed, seemed to turn his head in my direction, almost as if he was searching for my voice. I found myself smiling and repeating his name, the child letting out a quiet gurgle of contentment.

He could _hear_ me.

I paused, and in the absence of my voice, little Takeo-kun began to cry once more. In that moment, something seemed to echo throughout my head, like a distant memory that was racing to the forefront, and very soon, I remembered, and everything seemed so _obvious_.

"Takeo-kun... I am neither human, nor inhuman. I'm neither mortal, nor immortal. I have made many mistakes in my life, but I know who I am, who you are, and what my purpose is, and I will not let this purpose become one of my many mistakes. I, Yuki Judai, the former Herald of the Gentle Darkness, will take on the role of your guardian, as did your predecessors before you. I'm going to protect you with every fibre of my being. You will not be another one of my mistakes. I give you my word."

* * *

I became very biased towards this new little Herald. That's something I've never been afraid to admit, not that there was anyone to admit it to. I was there when he crawled and walked for the first time. I was there when he said 'Tou-tan' for the first time. I was there when he first learned to Duel. Every time I thought I'd never feel prouder, he did something new and I found myself loving him even more.

He learned to talk in what seemed like an incredibly short about of time to both myself and his parents, and I soon became what appeared to them to be an imaginary friend of sorts. Naturally, they thought it was cute and thought nothing of it, especially because he'd given me a false name like I'd asked him to. I couldn't have the world find out that Yuki Judai was hovering around a little boy. I wasn't certain whether anyone was targeting him or not, which brought me back to my predicament. The one where I shouldn't have been there.

Simply put, the new Herald, upon needing them, gained the previous Herald as a sort of spectral guardian. We could not touch, but we could guide, and some did it through more questionable methods than others did, like my own guardian. Until we were needed, we slept in that dark place I'd visited just before I was pulled back out into the open, which is a space in the corner of the Herald's mind.

Nevertheless, what was happening had never happened before. The previous Herald had never manifested this early. We have never made the decision to appear. The universe, or some higher power, makes that decision. Takeo-kun must have needed me as soon as possible, and although nothing seemed out of the ordinary, it was always there in the back of my mind. Forever without answers, I could only wonder why…

It was a dull and dreary day that Takeo-kun and I had never forgot as Takeo-kun sat in front of that pale brown coffin in that small room with grey walls, a wooden flood, blue cushions to sit on, and no furnishings to speak of. I could already see him withdrawing into himself, and I could only wonder...

 _Why?_

 _Why_ did this have to happen?

"Takeo-kun..." I muttered sadly, taking in the sight of the small boy who looked identical to me as he sat before me wearing his little black suit.

"Why did she die…?" Takeo-kun mumbled quietly, almost in disbelief.

"These things happen, Takeo-kun…" I responded, trying to keep my voice quiet and calm.

"Why did she have to die instead of me...?" he asked, his voice becoming even quieter.

I frowned in concern. "It doesn't work like that, Takeo-kun. Your mother wouldn't have wanted you to die in her place."

" _I don't care!_ " Takeo-kun suddenly yelled, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. I could see the boy's checks begin to burn with embarrassment before subsiding after a few seconds as the hushed murmurs died down.

"Takeo-kun..." I began, almost afraid to speak again, yet feeling as though I had to, before settling on a stern, "Please try not to be disrespectful. They're all here to pay respects to-"

"Shut up, old man..."

* * *

It was dark and Takeo-kun had already gone to bed. The little boy had grown up to be a healthy 12 year old. As I watched over him, I began to find myself missing Yubel more than ever, and that hole that she had once filled was eating away at the back of my mind more than I ever cared to think was possible. More than that, though, I felt alone and useless without her.

Takeo-kun was suffering and I could do nothing about it. Yubel might have known what to say or do, but I didn't, and as a result, I'd watched him suffer for 7 years. All I wanted was to make it stop, and yet I _couldn't_ , and that made me _useless_.

I reached out and placed a hand on Takeo-kun's head, thankful that I could at least touch him, even if I couldn't feel him. I paused. Could I say something? Should I say something? Was there anything to say? Would I say the wrong thing like I always did? The silence dragged on and on until I could take it no more, and I began to speak some very familiar words that I hadn't thought much about in 12 years.

"Takeo-kun... I am neither human, nor inhuman. I'm neither mortal, nor immortal. I have made many mistakes in my life, but I know who I am, who you are, and what my purpose is, and I will not let this purpose become one of my many mistakes. I, Yuki Judai, the former Herald of the Gentle Darkness, have long since taken on the role of your guardian, as did your predecessors before you. I'm going to protect you with every fibre of my being. You will not be another one of my mistakes. I give you my word."


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 **Before I start this chapter, I'd just like to apologise for the long wait. Between university and beta-reading, I've had very little time to write, and my OCD, despite only being subclinical, hasn't made me feel good about this chapter, like there's something wrong with it, but I can't figure out what it is. If anybody has any suggestions for how I could improve this chapter, please let me know. You'll be credited for the help at the start of the next chapter, of course. It's probably just my brain getting annoyed about something trivial and illogical again. If it is, I'm sorry that such a thing has forced you all to wait this long.**

 **For your reference, the English names of the cards will be listed at the bottom of the chapter.**

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or any aspect of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. Yu-Gi-Oh! is the product of Takahashi Kazuki and TV Tokyo._

 _ **~Yu-Gi-Oh! GX~**_

 **(Judai's P.O.V.)**

"Takeo. Wake up."

Takeo let out a lazy grumble from his wooden bed and rolled onto his back, his shoulder-length hair—which I personally still think needs a good cutting—falling over his face. The top of his blue pyjamas had been pulled up as he rolled around while he slept, exposing his stomach to the air, his green bed sheets offering no protection as he'd kicked them off during the night. His hand had knocked over the wooden lamp with a yellow lampshade on his bedside drawers, the bulb thankfully still intact, and his window lay open, a cold breeze causing the thin white curtains to flutter. After all those years, I wasn't surprised by any of this.

"You're going to be late, Takeo," I told him with what I hoped was a stern tone of voice as I made my way over to him.

This time, he shot up, still half asleep, and looked around him in a dazed manner, almost as if he had no idea where he was. I sat down on his bed and slid my face into view, the boy taking a few seconds to notice that I was there. He frowned.

"What is it, old man…?" he muttered, letting out a yawn, his tone one of annoyance.

"The time, Takeo. You're going to be late," I slowly repeated, waiting for the realisation to sink in.

Takeo stared at me for a few moments, almost as if he was trying to figure out exactly what I was trying to tell him. Then, his eyes seemed to widen, and it was all I could do to stop myself from grinning stupidly at the expression of shock that had made its way across his face for the millionth time during his 12 years of life. Without another word, he kicked the bed sheets off his feet and bolted, tripping over the wooden desk on the other side of his room, knocking his small blue desk lamp over before falling to the cream carpet, unable to put a hand on the cream wall to support himself and almost hitting his head on his tall wooden wardrobe as he did so.

"Are you all right?!" I asked worriedly, hastily floating over to his side as he scrambled to his feet and rushed out the door, ignoring me entirely. I don't think I've ever missed the ability to sigh more than I did at that moment.

A yip and the sound of clattering bones drew my gaze to the floor where a small skeletal dog stood, the little Duel Spirit happily wagging its bony tail. I gave it an exasperated smile as it looked up into my face, its body clicking as it sat down on the floor, its tail still ceaselessly wagging.

"He's a disaster, eh, Maron?" I let out a chuckle as the Duel Spirit, the Gentle Darkness leaking from its body, cocked its head and let out a confused whine, causing the brown bone on its black leather collar to hang at an awkward angle, the dirty metal 'M' that was set into the bone glinting in the light as the dog started to pant…somehow…

The next 30 minutes were filled with the usual rush to get dressed and get out of the house, this time, without his breakfast. The streets and buildings raced as he charged onwards, and I found myself throwing lighthearted insults at him with the hope of motivating him to speed up. Finally, we arrived in front of the large, white three story Duel Academia building in the city of Yuugure that I couldn't help but feel was nothing like my old school.

 **(Takeo's P.O.V.)**

How I managed to get to Duel Academia that day, I'll never understand, but my panic apparently hadn't stopped the old man from joking about my predicament the whole way there, only stopping to grin in satisfaction when I finally got there minutes before the bell rang, sweating profusely and panting heavily.

"Well? Did my motivating help?" he inquired mischievously as I struggled to catch my breath.

"You…call that…motivation…?!" I asked exasperatedly, aiming a glare at him.

"Yeah. You yell insults and the person works harder to prove you wrong. Yubel always did that with me. Is that not how it works?" he responded with a knowing smile that only served to rub me up the wrong way. What really bothered me the most, though, was that aside from suggesting that this 'Yubel's' actions were simply abuse, which would no doubt just make him angry and trigger another one of his lectures, I couldn't come up with a response, no matter how hard I thought about it. He was right, in a very annoying way.

Instead, I mumbled something unintelligible, hoping that he'd think that I said something intelligent. He simply chuckled and gestured towards the corridor with a wink, his smile extending into a grin as I finally caught my breath and stood up, straightening my red jacket and making sure that my blue jeans and black shoes were all in order, giving him a confused glare as I did so.

"Now, now, young Herald. Class awaits, although I don't know why you go in the first place. You just daydream your way through it."

"If I show up on time, it means I don't get punished. Teachers can't punish you for getting bad grades," I smirked triumphantly, standing up straight.

"They can, actually," the old man slowly responded, as though he was unsure. Then, he crossed his arms and frowned as though he was deep in thought. "Well, mine did, at the very least."

"Yeah, well, we're not living in the last century anymore. They can shout and scream all they want, but they can't punish us now." Walking past the spirit beside me, I headed down the hallway to class, intent on getting there before the bell rang. Judai floated in front of me and frowned down at me.

"That's not fair on your teachers. They do your best to get you good grades. You're letting them down," he scolded, serious for once.

I glanced up at him and looked away. "Why should I care? You seem to have some big plan for me. Why would I need good grades?"

The old man stopped. I did, too. His frown deepened. "All I'm here to do is train you and make sure you don't get killed. You'll still need a job. How do you plan to support yourself? The government isn't necessarily going to give you a job like they did with me."

I scoffed. "I'll just become the King of Duelists, then. There's no need for grades in that job."

I stepped past the old man and continued on down the hall, somehow managing to stop myself from shivering as I came into close proximity with him, my shoulder brushing his as I hurried on. When he said nothing more, I considered whether or not I had won our little argument, but I knew better to assume that someone like me could stand against his almost otherworldly knowledge. He'd simply let it go to avoid an argument. I knew that much, and that was what bothered me the most.

I just had to let it go, too.

 **15 minutes later.**

 **Location: Classroom.**

I glanced at the empty seat beside me as I sat in the small classroom, the sun shining in from the windows to my left, illuminating the cream walls, wooden flooring, and heavy blue curtains, which had been drawn back. The class consisted of six rows of five students, all of whom sat at wooden desks. A large whiteboard covered the front wall, the bottom of a screen that could drop down barely visible in the ceiling, and metal cabinets and shelves lay up against the walls in places. At the front on a raised piece of flooring—almost like a low stage—was a wooden podium where our teacher stood, a whiteboard marker in his hand.

Our English teacher—an Englishman named Stuart Moffat—was a small brown-haired man with brown eyes and glasses with thin black rims. When I first saw his child-like face, I honestly thought that he was a student, but when he said otherwise, the tweed waistcoat and red bow tie suddenly made sense, and I wasn't nearly as shocked as I probably should have been. Strangely enough, I'd never seen him in anything else, like he only had one item of clothing.

Mr Moffat adjusted the collar of his white dress shirt, his fancy blue trousers making a shuffling sound as his shiny black dress shoes squeaked on the floor. His eyes looked up from the brown book in his hand and scanned the room as he began the process of picking a victim to answer his question. He didn't get any further, however, as the sliding door slammed open.

"Sorry I'm late, Stuart!" a male voice called jovially. There was no sound of a door sliding shut as the owner of the voice no doubt sauntered his way across the classroom before sliding into the seat next to me with a satisfied sigh.

"That's _Mr Moffat_ , Kou," Mr Moffat muttered, his cheeks burning red with indignation.

I almost cringed as I heard him inserting English into Japanese, momentarily forgetting the new arrival beside me. Word around the school was that he had just never learned the honorifics and started to insert English into sentences in the hopes that students would think it was part of the lesson, and he just seemed to have given up on referring to his students properly. Never once had he referred to us by surname. I often wondered if this was how teachers spoke to their students in America, or if he just didn't care about etiquette.

"Sorry, _Mr Moffat_ ," the boy beside me corrected himself sarcastically as I turned towards him. Sasaki Kou-kun was around the same height as I was, and he wore the same red uniform that I did. His blond hair lay messily over his head and his blue eyes twinkled with mirth.

"That's enough of that, Kou," Mr Moffat snapped, obviously trying very hard not to glare if the stern expression on his face and his twitching eyebrows told me anything.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Stand in the hallway. I'm going." Kou-kun gave a chuckle and, standing up, walked straight back out of the classroom, slamming the door shut behind him, much to the shock of our poor stunned teacher who had to take a few moments before turning back to the lesson with a shaky voice.

"R-right. Where were we…?"

Roughly 10 minutes later, I found myself as one of the last of the students to leave the classroom, as usual. I was in no rush. Kou-kun wasn't going anywhere. When I eventually laid eyes on him, I knew I was right. He was definitely going nowhere, because he was lying on the ground, using his black bag as a pillow, snoring loudly, oblivious to the giggles and insults of other students as they passed him by. I walked up to him, gripping the strap of my blue bag, which hung over my shoulder, with one hand. I nudged him with my foot.

"Oi. If you don't wake up, you'll be late for class," I muttered, knowing full well that I may as well have been talking to a brick wall. The snoring stopped and Kou grinned, although his eyes didn't open.

"I don't know why you care, Takeo-kun," Kou-kun responded, his grin seeming to widen with every second.

My gentle nudging quickly developed into one swift kick to Kou-kun's side. The blond boy yelped and sat straight up, rubbing the spot where I had kicked him. He shot a glare in my direction and stood up, scowling with indignation. He took a step forwards and shook a fist in my face.

"What was that for?!" Kou-kun snapped, shoving his face as close to mine as he possibly could, our noses almost touching.

"You're going to be late," I repeated bluntly, glaring back. " _We're_ going to be late."

"Again, I don't know why you care!" he responded, stepping back to pick his bag up.

"It'll stop you from getting detention. You'll get out of here a lot faster today," I reasoned, turning around and breaking into a jog with the intent to catch up with the other students. There was silence behind me for a few moments as Kou-kun seemed to contemplate my words, and then I heard him snatch his bag up from the floor, followed by his quick footsteps as he tried to catch up with me.

"Only so I can go home faster, you hear?!" Kou-kun told me in the gruffest, most annoyed-sounding voice he could manage as he came up alongside me and matched my pace, a childish pout present on his face.

The next class wasn't much better, unfortunately. Within the first five minutes, our history teacher—a well-dressed Japanese man by the name of Hisakawa-sensei—was already screaming at Kou-kun for taking his lunch out of his bag and eating it in class, and once again, he'd been sent to the hallway, only this time for eating in class as well as his usual backchat. When the bell rang, I once again found myself in the hallway, delivering another swift kick to Kou-kun's side to rouse him, but when he ignored me this time, I made the decision to ignore him, and it was lunchtime before I saw him again.

"I'm so hungry..." Kou-kun moaned as he joined me on the roof where I had been eating my bentō.

"Why do I hang out with you, again?" I asked with a frustrated sigh as he threw his bag down, sat down next to me, and dug his hand into my box before stuffing whatever he'd pulled out in his mouth.

"It's 'cause you love me!" he responded with a grin through a mouthful of my rice.

I frowned, ready to retort when the roof door opened and a familiar female voice spoke. "Are you stealing food from him again, Kou-kun? That's not fair. What will you do if Takeo-kun doesn't eat enough and collapses or something?"

"Come on, Harumi-chan!" Kou-kun happily responded, a blush spreading across his cheeks as he watched the newcomer make her way across the roof and sit down next to me, Kou-kun still sitting on the opposite side of me. "That kind of thing only happens in anime!"

Igarashi Harumi-chan—a Ra Yellow—was another one of my friends whom I had known since childhood, having gone to the same school as her, just like I did with Kou-kun. She was the sort of girl who was shy around other people, but never around us, and her appearance reflected that with her long brown hair tightly tied into neat braids. Brown eyes never failed to sparkle behind her thick glasses with round black rims, necessary to correct her horrible eyesight, and she seemed to take great pride in the fact that she'd never once worn makeup, her uncovered freckles standing out well on her pale skin as a result.

Just like the other Ra Yellow students, she wore a dull yellow blazer with white trimming, the school's logo emblazoned on the breast pocket, and a skirt of a similar style that reached just above her knees—far lower than most girls in the school. Sensible black buckled shoes covered her long white socks with a yellow line around the top which reached up to just below her knees, adding to her modest appearance. All in all, she was a pretty girl, but having feelings for her was never something I wished for, nor even really considered. I was happy being friends, as we were. It was Kou-kun who appeared to be smitten with her as opposed to myself.

"It doesn't only happen in anime, Kou-kun," Harumi-chan responded with an exaggerated sigh. "I suppose I'll just have to bring another bentō box if you keep doing this."

Kou-kun looked like he'd been shot in the heart with one of Cupid's arrows and began to squirm and swoon next to me, and I couldn't help but recoil somewhat, grimacing with discomfort. "Oh, Harumi-chan... You don't need to go out of your way for little old–" Kou-kun was rapidly cut off by Harumi-chan's disgruntled voice.

"For you? What did you do to deserve it? It's Takeo-kun who needs more lunch, no thanks to you," she retorted, holding out her own black bentō box towards me allowing me to take some food, which I refused with an embarrassed shake of my head as I felt Kou-kun seemingly deflate next to me. She frowned. "You don't need to get so embarrassed. At least take a Tako-san or two," she told me, gesturing to her octopus-shaped sausages.

"Aren't they your favourite...?" I asked with a nervous chuckle, slowly pushing the box back towards her.

"Takeo-kun, they're _everyone's_ favourite," Harumi-chan responded with another exaggerated sigh and a shake of her head. "If you won't take any, though, I suppose I have no choice..." She picked up one of her aforementioned Tako-san with her chopsticks and placed it in her mouth before chewing thoughtfully for a moment. Then, she turned back to face the both of us.

"How are your grades?" she asked curiously, and my heart sank into my stomach.

"It's the same old story for me," Kou-kun told her with a stretch, grunting as he did so, before nonchalantly sinking back into his seat.

She then turned her gaze exclusively to me, and I found myself shrinking under it, mumbling something unintelligible that I hoped sounded at least somewhat intelligent. "It's nothing important... I don't care, and you shouldn't care, either," I eventually told her, my voice intentionally monotonous to hide my nerves as I attempted to look away from her with an emotionless expression, but I found that my eyes were still being drawn back to her face which was rapidly reddening in anger and disappointment.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, her voice deceptively calm. "You two are barely hanging on by a thread as it is. If it wasn't for your Dueling skills, the Duel Academia would have dropped you both by now."

"I'll take that as a compliment," I told her, forcing any sign of nerves down into myself and taking a bite of what little rice I had left. "Dueling skills are all I need."

"Not if it gets you kicked out," Harumi-chan reminded me, her voice tense as though she was trying not to let her anger show.

By this point, I had already had enough. Seeing the inevitable argument coming once again, and suddenly feeling very uncomfortable, I decided to leave. Fighting down my feelings of hunger, I placed the lid back on my bentō box and stood up, watching the expressions of confusion on my friends' faces out of the corners of my eyes as I tossed my box into my bag and threw it over my shoulder before turning towards them slightly.

"I'm going to the toilet," I lied, forcing any annoyance out of my voice until it was almost unreadable and monotonous. Harumi-chan frowned and opened her mouth again, no doubt to tell me off about something else. Before she could say anything, I turned away, feeling awkward, and hurried across the roof, opening the door and descending the staircase as her distant, unintelligible voice echoed behind me.

It was only when we reached the floor below that the old man reappeared and decided to speak. "You OK?" he asked, his tone filled with concern as he floated alongside me.

"I don't get it," I immediately responded, sounding irritable. The old man raised an eyebrow, and I elaborated. "I get told off by my teachers. I get told off at home. I get told off by you. What makes her think that I want to be told off by her, too? Can't people just leave me alone?"

"She's just worried, Takeo, as we all are... None of us want you to lose your place here..." the old man reasoned, his worried frown deepening.

I already knew that much. I didn't need him telling me what I already knew. I just wanted a bit of peace. Just as I was about to request said peace, the old man let out a slow sigh. "I'm sorry, Takeo. I never seem to know what to say to you," he slowly admitted, turning his head away slightly. "It's at times like this that I wish that Yubel was here."

"Who exactly is Yubel, anyway?" I asked curiously, hoping for more of an answer than I got the last time, shoving all thoughts of the argument that had almost happened out of my mind.

"Didn't I already tell you about that?" the old man asked thoughtfully, raising a hand to his chin. "I'm sure I did at some point..."

"You said something vague about a close friend and her being a Duel Spirit, but I still don't get it. If she's so important, and if she's actually a part of me, why isn't she here, and why do I feel like nothing's missing?" I responded, raising an eyebrow with intrigue.

The old man let out a relieved sigh. "Well, at least I remembered to tell you," he muttered with a chuckle. "You don't notice anything missing because you aren't old enough, and your powers haven't matured enough. You can't feel your own soul, let alone hers."

"When I'm older, we're going to find her, right?" I inquired as I turned down another hallway, my footsteps echoing on the grey stone floors and reverberating off the cream walls that were adorned with noticeboards at frequent intervals. "Will she even be able to see you? Maron and I are the only ones who can see you, aren't we?

"Hmm..." the old man hummed thoughtfully in response, looking up at the ceiling as though he would find the answer written there. "That's a good question, Takeo. Maron can see me because the Gentle Darkness is the force that keeps him here. A past incarnation of us took pity on him as he waited in vain for his master and imbued him with a whisp of our Darkness so that he could find happiness with a new family someday. That's not the case for Yubel. I don't have access to her memories, and she never seemed to speak to Martin. I suppose we'll have to find out."

"Martin was your predecessor, right?" I asked unsurely, looking up at him with an expectant gaze.

"You remember well," the old man complimented with a smile. "Yes, he was. He made a lot of mistakes with me that I'm determined not to repeat with you, but he really started to make up for it close to the end."

"He was a spirit like you, right? It's not like he could have done any physical damage, so what kind of mistakes could he possibly have made?" I asked in confusion, a frown making its way onto my face.

"Oh... It was the 'possessing my body, enslaving an entire dimension, and murdering hundreds of its inhabitants in order to protect me, forcing me to wallow in my own self-pity because the mental torment after having seen my friends seemingly die as a result of my own actions was apparently preferable to harm coming to me' kind of mistake," he said nonchalantly. Upon taking in my dumbstruck expression, he added, "Yeah... It was actually worse than it sounds, if you can believe that..."

"If you ever do that to me, I'm never talking to you again," I threatened, using an insult that would be mundane for the average individual, but horrifying for a person who had nobody else to talk to, like the old man. He grinned sheepishly in response.

"Don't worry about it. I wouldn't do something like that after having experienced it myself. We Heralds have never been overly bright by choice, but I'm not that bad," he told me with a nervous laugh.

I opened my mouth to respond with something that was no doubt witty and profound when a young, panicked voice that was coming from around the corner caught our attention, and I found myself picking up the pace as I approached the corner of the hallway.

"T-they're not anything that you'd want to use, Hanazawa-san..." a frightened male voice squeaked from around the bend. An older female voice seemed to scoff at the notion.

"That's _senpai_ to you, and I don't care," she responded angrily, and there was a dull thudding sound, like something hitting the wall. "Show them to me. _Now._ "

"A-a-all right! H-here!" the voice squeaked again, and there was silence until I turned the corner.

Down the hallway from me, I saw a small boy, likely in the year below me, up against the left-hand wall, cowering in terror. He was, as I said, very small, with messy light brown hair and dark brown eyes. He wore the uniform of an Obelisk Blue student—a dull blue jacket with white trimming, and grey trousers along with a pair of white and green trainers that seemed to be almost too big for him, just like the rest of his uniform.

An older girl, who seemed to be a year or so older than me, towered over the boy, her hand holding him against the wall as she browsed a Deck of cards with her other hand. She was a tall beach blonde girl with a deep tan that may or may not have been authentic. Like the boy, she also wore the Obelisk uniform, although her jacket was was accompanied by a blue miniskirt, neat black laced shoes, and white socks with a blue line around the top of them. As I came closer to the scene, I noticed the small red heart-shaped earrings that she wore, and the standard Obelisk Blue Duel Disk with blue edges was attached to her arm. She let out a hum of distaste before throwing the cards to the floor, removing her hand from the boy's chest as she did so.

"Absolutely worthless," she decided aloud as she began to turn away, allowing the boy to scramble for the cards on the floor.

"Oi," I called out as I approached them. "No littering in the hallways. Pick those up," I told the girl with a frown. The girl let out a gasp as though she had been offended and whirled around to look me in the eye with her own bright blue eyes. Now that she'd turned towards me, I found myself recognising her. "Oh. Hanazawa Asami-san. Is your little crew not with you today?" I taunted, watching as she narrowed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips.

"Do I know you, kid?" she asked, though it sounded more like a demand.

"Probably not," I responded with a smirk. "You really should pick up what you dropped, though. It's not good to litter."

"To be honest, kid, I'd sooner lose a Duel than listen to you," Hanazawa-san scoffed, crossing her arms and shaking her head with a chuckle.

"I'll take you on if you're game," I offered, reaching down to place my hand on the frantic boy's shoulder as I stopped next to him, hoping that he'd take it as a sign to stop, which he did, thankfully. "Put the cards down. Hanazawa-san is going to be picking them up, herself."

"B-but..." the boy nervously began, only to be cut off by Hanazawa-san.

"Not likely. I'll Duel you if that's what it takes to get it through your thick skull, Osiris," she responded with a grunt of displeasure, her eyes finally taking in my uniform.

"OK, then," I stated with a grin, shifting my bag so I could retrieve my Osiris Red Duel Disk with red edges from it. "I'll teach you to drop litter!"

"It's really not litter..." the boy immediately mumbled in response as he stood up and pressed himself against the wall.

I grinned sheepishly at him as I got into position for the Duel. "Yeah. Sorry. It was a bad analogy, wasn't it?"

"The joke is getting old fast, too..." he quietly admitted, fidgeting as he did so.

I paused for a moment as his words sank in and I recalled the entire conversation up to that point, considering how many times I had referenced litter because I'd been unable to think of anything more clever, before responding with a quiet, embarrassed, "OK... I'll stop it, now..."

"Thank goodness! Can we Duel, now?!" Hanazawa-san shouted from down the hallway where she'd taken her position, her voice filled with sarcasm and annoyance.

Stuck between a bad joke and an angry rich bully, I let out an unconscious sigh as the old man quietly giggled next to me as though he thought I wouldn't hear him. I raised my Duel Disk, and before I could say anything in response, Hanazawa-san took initiative.

"Duel!" she shouted, drawing a card as I suddenly found myself fumbling to draw my hand.

 **(Takeo: 4000 - Asami: 4000)**

"I place a monster face-down, and I'll follow that up with two face-down cards! Your move!" Hanazawa-san continued with a smirk, the cards all appearing in their respective positions.

 **(Takeo: 4000 - Asami: 4000)**

"OK, then! I draw!" I responded, eying her face-down cards.

It had been a long time since I'd seen anyone place a monster face-down, and I couldn't help but find it to be rather unusual, and perhaps slightly daunting. I had no idea what I was getting into if I attacked it, and her face-downs weren't giving me a lot of confidence, either. I just had to be thankful that she likely knew nothing about my Deck, either. After all, she didn't even seem to know who I was. I stared down at the cards in my hand, the undead faces of my monsters staring up at me as I formed a basic strategy. Slowly, I took a card and placed it on my Disk.

"I Summon Master Kyonshī **(ATK: 1750 DEF: 1000)** in Attack Position!" I declared as, with a groan, a kyonshī with green skin and long, sharp nails took to the field, entering into a fighting stance as some sort of virtual breeze caused the talisman that covered his face to flutter, the kanji for 'curse' standing out upon it in bright red writing. It wore a purple uniform-like robe with long sleeves and grey fastenings, a pair of off white slip on shoes, and a pair of yellow trousers that appeared to be from a kung fu uniform, and which was tied at the ankles with thin pieces of brown rope. A long black braid hung down from beneath his round purple hat, swaying in the non-existent breeze just like his talisman.

From across the field, I heard Hanazawa-san make a noise of disgust. "Ugh... Zombies? That's gross..." she commented with a grimace.

"Oh, come on," I responded with a grin. "They're just holograms." As Hanazawa-san turned up her nose at my monster, I continued. "Master Kyonshī, attack her face-down monster!"

Master Kyonshī let out a grunt of confirmation, and with great power, he leapt into the air before aiming his foot at the face-down monster, bearing down on it with great speed. Before he could strike it, however, one of the face-down cards sprang up.

"I activate my Trap Card, Attack Nullification!" Hanazawa-san declared as the red-bordered Trap Card sprang up, revealing an image of swirling reds and blues, and three prongs of white light that seemed to erupt from a source of bright light in the centre of the spiralling colours.

Just before Master Kyonshī's foot could connect with the face-down monster, it hit a barrier that shone with swirling colours, knocking my monster back onto my field where he landed without issue and assumed a fighting stance once more. I gritted my teeth, bothered by the missed opportunity, and placed a face-down of my own into my Duel Disk.

"I place one card face-down and end my turn," I told Hanazawa-san who immediately moved to draw a card, likely not noticing up the hint of annoyance in my voice.

 **(Takeo: 4000 - Asami: 4000)**

"I draw!" she announced with confidence as she drew a card, which she quickly placed in her hand. She picked up another card and placed it on her Duel Disk. "I Summon Eria the Water-Spirit Charmer **(ATK: 500 DEF: 1500)** in Attack Position!" With Hanazawa-san's shout, a swirling vortex of water appeared on the field, rapidly disappearing to reveal a girl with long blue hair and eyes of the same colour. A baggy brown cloak partially covered a striped green jumper and a dark blue skirt, and a thick brown leather belt with a fluffy, pale blue accessory of sorts hanging from it was tied around her torso. She held a short hooked staff made of what appeared to be blue crystal in her left hand, the hook forming crystalline leaves and hoops at points as it arced. A teardrop shaped crystal shimmered with a pale blue light beneath the arcing crystal, no doubt the source of the power that kept water surging around her feet, obscuring them from view.

Despite wondering why she would put such a monster in Attack Position, I wasted no time in activating my Trap Card. "I activate Mousetrap!" I declared.

The Trap Card flipped face-up to reveal an image of an orange, pulsating maw with sharp, glinting teeth devouring a bluish-black mouse with a round yellow eye, the monster's long tongue writhing in its mouth like a tentacle as seven real tentacles wriggled in the background like thin worms. "With this card, I can destroy a monster that has been Normal Summoned as long as it has 500 Attack Points or less," I explained as the gaping maw from the card appeared beneath Eria. The girl looked down at the soft tissue that had appeared around her feet and grimaced, apparently sensing no danger. Just as she moved to step off the trap beneath her feet, to her apparent horror, the teeth snapped shut around her torso. The trapped girl let out a scream of terror and pain before breaking apart into shards of light.

Watching as Hanazawa-san recoiled in horror, even I found myself having to agree that Eria's destruction had been somewhat brutal. Even so, I couldn't stop there as Hanazawa-san appeared to be choosing not to dwell on the matter. She reached for the face-down monster on her Duel Disk and flipped it face-up.

"I Flip Summon Aussa the Earth-Spirit Charmer **(ATK: 500 DEF: 1500)** in Attack Position!" Hanazawa-san told me, her voice sounding annoyed, yet confident.

I watched as, with an audible rumble of earth, a girl with messy brown hair and brown eyes that peered our from behind large rectangular glasses with black frames appeared on the field. She wore the same green jumper as Eria and a very similar coat, the only difference being the lack of sleeves. She wore a pair of brown fingerless gloves and a pair of blue shorts, and clutched in her hand was a staff. Similar to Eria's staff, it was short, and there was a cluster of shimmering crystals at the top. At the base of the crystals, a material similar to the one her jumper was made out of was wrapped around the staff, tied there by a black cord with a pale pink ball and a tassel at the end. Cracked earth rose up around her feet obscuring them from view.

"Next, I activate Aussa's effect. When she's Flip Summoned, until Aussa leaves the field, I can take control of one EARTH Attribute monster on my opponent's field, such as your Master Kyonshī," Hanazawa-san explained to my shock and annoyance.

With no other choice, I removed Master Kyonshī from my Disk and tossed the card in her direction. With a smooth catch, she placed my monster on her own Disk, and I watched as my monster disappeared from my field in a swirl of sparkling light and appeared on her side of the field, leaving me wide open. Unconsciously, I found myself crouching slightly, bracing myself for an attack which didn't take long to come.

"Aussa, Kyonshī, attack him directly!" Hanazawa-san ordered with a smirk. I watched as Kyonshī leapt into the air, and Aussa began to wave her staff. Just as Kyonshī swept his foot to the side, colliding with the side of my head, the ground rumbled once more and holographic rock erupted from the ground, slamming into my stomach and winding me as my Duel Disk attempted to replicate the force and the pain that such an attack would cause to a lesser degree. I found myself sinking to my knees as my Life Points fell drastically, my arms clutching my stomach. I looked up as I heard the boy against the wall let out a gasp and a disappointed grumble just as Hanazawa-san began to laugh loudly, and I found myself starting to cringe as she somewhat reminded me of nails running down a chalkboard.

"If that's all you have, this Duel will be over sooner than I thought! Nobody's ever beaten the Deck that Daddy bought for me!" Hanazawa-san claimed as I stood up shakily.

I wasn't one of those people who claimed that a Deck that wasn't made by the Duelist had no soul or anything like that, because many Duelists enjoyed Dueling with unaltered Structure Decks for whatever reason, and loved the cards that they had, and love for their cards was all that was necessary. I had no problems with her using a Deck that someone else had made for her, and it didn't matter how much it cost. However, bragging about a Deck just wasn't something I could get behind in any sense of the word. Pride for one's cards was good, but bragging about them was just demeaning for the opponent, and did t exactly put the bragging Duelist in a good light, either. If I didn't know what sort of person she was before, I knew right then, and I found her to be rather distasteful. Even so, I chose to remain silent, watching as she placed a card into a slot on her Duel Disk.

"I place one card face-down and end my turn," Hanazawa-san announced as the face-down in question appeared on the field with a flash of light.

 **(Takeo: 1750 - Asami: 4000)**

Gritting my teeth, both against the pain and in annoyance, I looked down at my Deck. "My turn. I draw," I stated quietly, concentrating on my cards. Looking at the card that I'd just drawn, I let out a sigh of relief and placed it on my Duel Disk. "I Summon Zombie Master **(ATK: 1800 DEF: 0)** in Attack Position!"

With a flash of light, Zombie Master let out a laugh as he walked onto the field, appearing out of thin air. He was a pale, gaunt man with wide eyes, long nails, and a manic grin. His long silver hair fell in dirty clumps over his ragged, dirt-covered cloak. Beneath that was more ragged clothing—a torn brown shirt and reddish-brown trousers. His grin widening as he spotted Master Kyonshī on Hanazawa-san's field, he fixed his gaze on Aussa and began to tap his shoeless foot impatiently, as though he couldn't wait to destroy her and reclaim Kyonshī.

Again, Hanazawa-san turned up her nose at my monster. "He's filthy... Are all the monsters you own disgusting...?" she asked incredulously.

I rolled my eyes at her. "He's nice when you get to know him," I responded with an exasperated sigh, watching with mild amusement as Hanazawa-san began to look at me as though I had just grown another head. Nevertheless, I gestured towards my Zombie Master. "Zombie Master, destroy Aussa and get Kyonshī back!"

At my order, Zombie Master raised his arms into the air, electricity and magic crackling at his fingertips. A strange purple magical aura coated his hands and struck the ground like lightning, causing it to rumble, and before my eyes, the floor began to split open and a skeletal hand emerged, followed by two others and one covered in rotting flesh a few skeletons and a decaying corpse began to pull themselves out of the ground. I heard Hanazawa-san let out a strangled cry of horror as Zombie Master's undead forces began to amble towards her, and she rapidly pressed a button on her Duel Disk.

"I activate my Trap Card, Emissaries of Reconciliation!" Hanazawa-san exclaimed, the card in question standing upright to reveal three women in blue cloaks and green robes with bejewelled necklaces and headdresses, all three of them with short brown hair. While the two women in the back stood with their eyes closed, a green-eyed woman at the front held an ornate golden key with a purple jewel in the centre and a pair of bat wings on either side. "With this card, my monsters can't be destroyed by battle and I don't take any battle damage this turn!" she explained as the three women appeared in front of Aussa and began to chant, shielding the cowering girl from the horde of zombies as a barrier appeared in front of them, vaporising each of the zombies as they touched it. Their jobs done, the women faded from the field and the card dissolved into delicate sparkles of light as the Battle Phase ended.

Annoyed at another missed opportunity to inflict damage, I lowered my Duel Disk. "I end my turn," I reluctantly stated.

 **(Takeo: 1750 - Asami: 4000)**

"I draw!" Hanazawa-san began, but instead of playing a card, she instead pressed a button on her Duel Disk, activating yet another Trap Card. "I activate the Continuous Trap Card Unpossessed!"

The card flipped face-up, displaying an image of four monsters. On the bottom left of the card was a leaping red fox with a white underside, its back covered in darker, spikier fur, similar to the colour of its paws, and I immediately recognised it as Inari Fire. To its right was a green bipedal lizard-like creature with a muscular body, yellow eyes, and an underbite known as Jigobyte. Two spikes jutted out from each of its shoulders and a much larger spike protruded from each of its elbows. Its arms were wrapped in pale green cloth, and a long green tail seemed to swish powerfully behind it.

Just above Jigabyte was the smaller and Daemon Eater—a furry, sharp-eyed rodent-like creature with shaggy brown fur, darker brown bat wings, sharp claws, and a long white horn on its forehead. Finally, at the upper left of the card was what appeared to be a more mature version of Petit Dragon. It was a long dragon-like creature with two horns, bright yellow eyes, and ears not unlike that of a dog or cat. The top half of its long body was covered with shaggy green fur, and its underside alternated between bands of green and peach scales, with its lower jaw being a peach colour.

"Now, let's forget that for a moment, shall we?" Hanazawa-san suggested with a sneer as she took another card from her hand. "I'm going to Release both Aussa and Master Kyonshī to Advance Summon Possession-Equipped Aussa **(ATK: 1850 DEF: 1500)** in Attack Position!"

At Hanazawa-san's command, both my monster and hers exploded into shards of light before reforming into an older version of Aussa. She held the same staff, and despite being much taller, much of her outfit was still the same. The only real difference was her longer coat, which was a paler brown with green lines near the edges of the fabric, and which also had an embroidered white sash attached to it.

"Now that that's done," Hanazawa-san began with a smirk, "I'm going to battle your Zombie Master!" Before I could relax at the prospect of only taking 50 Points of damage, Hanazawa-san's smirk widened and she continued. "Next, I activate the effect of Unpossessed. Once per turn, I can increase the Attack Points of one Possession-Equipped monster by 800 during damage calculation!"

I audibly cursed, shivering as I felt the old man cuff me round the ears as punishment. Only seconds later, I caught sight of Aussa waving her staff, and in a similar manner to her previous form, rocks erupted from the ground, striking me in the stomach, but they felt much harder and faster than before, and I found myself being knocked to the ground, coughing as the wind was driven out of me and my Life Points dropped drastically once more.

Hanazawa-san let out another annoying laugh. "Look at that! You haven't inflicted a single Point of damage on me!"

"No..." I began as I slowly pulled myself to my feet, "but I did scare you half to death at one point, and that was far more fulfilling..." I finished with a smirk, watching as her cheeks went bright red and she began to stammer.

"B-but... I... I..." She finally stopped and gritted her teeth. "Just take your turn, already..."

 **(Takeo: 900 - Asami: 4000)**

"All right, then... It's my turn. I draw," I immediately draw a card, desperate to turn the Duel around, and when I drew it, I saw another chance. "I activate the Magic Card Pot of Greed!" I announced as I placed the card on my Duel Disk. The card that appeared had a blue border that was indicative of a Magic Card, and the image showed a green pot with ornate blue and yellow designs and a blue handle. On the front of the pot was a sneering face with red eyes, yellowing teeth, and thick red lips. "With this card, I can draw two extra cards," I explained as I drew two more cards, although I wasn't sure who would need the explanation. I looked carefully at the cards in my hand, hiding a grin as Pot of Greed disappeared from the field in a flash of light, silently thanking it as it did so.

"I'm going to Summon my Pyramid Turtle **(ATK: 1200 DEF: 1400)** in Attack Position!" I declared as I placed the card on my Disk. What ambled onto the field can only be described as a tortoise rather than a turtle. It had red eyes, five green claws on each foot, and a massive sand-coloured shell in the shape of a pyramid. It wore a green-coloured false beard, and a headdress which consisted of a golden base, atop which stood an orange orb, surrounded by two green, blue and red pieces that raced around the orb, nearly touching as they drew closer together at the top.

"1200 Attack Points? That thing won't beat Aussa," Hanazawa-san confidently informed me, not grimacing at the appearance of my monster for the first time during that Duel.

"That's what I'm counting on," I responded with a smirk before gesturing towards Aussa. "Pyramid Turtle, attack Aussa!"

Almost immediately, the orb on Pyramid Turtle's headdress began to glow, and a bright beam of light was suddenly fired from it. Aussa raised her staff in retaliation, the crystals absorbing the light before firing it right back at Pyramid Turtle which was destroyed without a sound from the supposed turtle.

"What was that for?!" Hanazawa-san demanded as she watched me obliterate my own monster, my Life Points dropping to a mere 250. "That was completely pointless!"

"I'm afraid that it wasn't," I responded somewhat smugly, looking down at my Deck. "When Pyramid Turtle is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Zombie-Type monster with 2000 Defence Points or less from my Deck. I choose my Darkness Gear - Goku En **(ATK: 2400 DEF: 1400)**!" I announced as my a card emerged from my Deck slot. I removed it, watching as my Disk automatically shuffled my Deck the moment I did so. "I'm going to Summon it in Attack Position!"

The monster that I Summoned was much bigger than anything I'd Summoned thus far during that Duel. It was a massive bipedal creature made from what appeared to be gnarled wood, two protrusions jutting from its back like twisted wings. Its body was a dark purple, and ghostly purple flames seemed to be emitting from from its paws, back and chest, and more came form a hole in its face, almost like a flaming eye. It threw its spiked head back and let out an otherworldly hissing sound, like the sound of someone throwing water on flames, that seemed out of place on such a creature.

"Goku En, attack Aussa!" I ordered, watching as Goku En let out another hiss, the flames around it growing higher and higher. Before Hanazawa-san could react, Goku En rushed forwards at blinding speeds, clamping its jaws around Aussa who had no time to struggle. With the sound of glass shattering, Aussa disappeared into shards of light.

Dumbstruck, Hanazawa-san said nothing as I placed a card on my Duel Disk. "I place one card face-down. Your move."

 **(Takeo: 250 - Asami: 3450)**

Hanazawa-san wordlessly drew a card, her face pale, but as she looked at what she'd drawn, she seemed to let out a sigh of relief and her colour started to come back. She smiled shakily, and placed the card that she'd just drawn on her Duel Disk.

"I Summon Possession-Equipped Wynn **(ATK: 1850 DEF: 1500)** in Attack Position!" Hanazawa-san declared as her new monster appeared in the field in a rush of wind. The girl who appeared had green eyes, and her messy green hair was pulled up in a ponytail. She wore similar clothing to Aussa, except she wore a black skirt. The source of the dust-filled wind that obscured her lower legs was the glowing green crystal in the short white staff that she clutched in her right hand. The staff curved over the crystal, the arc designed to resemble Petit Dragon with the addition of fur and two skeletal wings.

"When I Summon her without Releasing monsters, she loses her effect, but she can still use the effect of Unpossessed!" Hanazawa-san explained, her voice still shaking slightly as she calmed down, a way through the next turn now in her sights. I gritted my teeth, putting two and two together and coming up with the destruction of my monster. "I'm going to have Wynn attack Goku En, and then activate the effect of Unpossessed, raising her Attack Points by 800!"

Wynn began to wave her staff to and fro, the glowing crystal's intensity growing with each swing as the wind started to pick up, rapidly forming a whirlwind around Goku En. It wasn't long before the whirlwind had grown into a raging tornado, obscuring Goku En from view. With Goku En's destruction rapidly approaching, I quickly pressed a button on my Duel Disk.

"I activate the Trap Card Guard Block!" I announced confidently, watching as my card sprang up to reveal an image of a Duelist in a brown jacket drawing a card as a knight in white armour, his blue and red shield disintegrating, became coated in a bright light, its destruction imminent. "With this card, I can draw one card and nullify any damage that I take from this battle!"

Goku En let out a final hiss as a loud explosion occurred from within the tornado. I quickly drew a card, watching as an opaque barrier formed around me, shielding me from the debris. I glanced at the card that I'd just drawn, forcing a smile away as I did so. I looked up at Hanazawa-san who looked like she'd just bitten into a lemon, but she seemed to decide to say nothing as I placed the card into my hand. She was confident that she would just get me later, no doubt.

"I end my turn," Hanazawa-san finished through gritted teeth, watching as I reached for another card.

 **(Takeo: 250 - Asami: 3450)**

I nodded in confirmation. "OK, then. My turn. I draw," I stated absentmindedly, wondering if the next card would help to speed up the process of my victory. Deciding that it would, but not right now, I placed it in my hand, instead retrieving the card that I'd drawn as a result of Guard Block. "I activate Book of Life!" I announced somewhat excitedly, placing the card on my Duel Disk.

The card that appeared on the field showed an emerald green book with a border of blue and red triangles. Hieroglyphics were written across the bottom, and two images of Anubis on either side of the book faced an ornate blue chalice in the centre, above which floated a Wadjet that seemed to shine with a bright orange light. Above this was a red eye that lay above two seemingly-golden wings.

"With this card," I began to explain, "I can Special Summon one Zombie-Type monster from my Graveyard, and exclude one monster from yours!"

"Wait! What?!" Hanazawa-san exclaimed, suddenly in a panic as her assured victory was snatched away from her once more.

"I'm afraid I can't, Hanazawa-san," I responded, removing a card from my Graveyard. "I choose to exclude Possesson-Equipped Aussa, and Special Summon Darkness Gear - Goku En from my Graveyard!"

Hanazawa-san grumbled out something like an insult as the chosen card emerged from her Graveyard slot, and she carefully placed it in her blazer pocket. As she did so, I placed Goku En on my Disk, and the gargantuan quadrupedal creature came to life once more, letting out a hiss as Book of Life disappeared from the field in shards of light.

"Next," I began somewhat impatiently, "I activate the Instant Magic Card Rush! With this card, I can raise the Attack Points of one monster on the field by 700, and I choose Goku En!" An image of Rush appeared on the field, showing off its signature brown boar as the hologram of the card began to glow with a bright yellow light which began to extend towards, and eventually coat, Goku En, granting it its power. Before Hanazawa-san could complain further, I gestured towards Goku En and gave the order. "Goku En, destroy Wynn!"

Goku En rushed off once more, clamping his jaws around Wynn with a loud hiss. Wynn let out a desperate scream, and within seconds, she had exploded into shards of light with a sound like shattering glass. The deed done, Goku En returned to my side of the field at its own leisure, allowing Hanazawa-san's Life Points to drop.

"I end my turn," I finished, watching Hanazawa-san's annoyed, yet somewhat dumbfounded expression with mild mirth. She was no longer bragging at the very least.

 **(Takeo: 250 - Asami: 2200)**

"M-my turn! I draw!" Hanazawa-san began, her voice stammering nervously. Suddenly, she cracked a shaking, almost desperate-looking smile as she slammed a card down on her Duel Disk. "I Summon Hiita the Fire-Spirit Charmer **(ATK: 500 DEF: 1500)** in Defence Position!" she declared as her new monster appeared on the field.

What appeared was a young girl like the other Charmers, her outfit very similar to them aside from her black fingerless gloves, black miniskirt, brown eyes, and wild reddish-brown hair that reached her shoulders. Fire swirled around her feet, their source being the short golden staff in her hand that ended in an ornate point, and spiralled at the top. Floating above the top was a golden ring with protrusions jutting out at intervals, and a large golden orb floated above the ring. The entire top of the staff seemed to be coated in a roaring flame. Her card appearing underneath her, she crouched down, crossing her staff across her chest as the flames roared around her like a barrier.

"When Unpossessed is active on my field, my Charmer monsters can't be destroyed by battle! Let's see how you get past this one! I'll have your Goku En destroyed before you know it!" Hanazawa-san proudly announced before continuing with, "I end my turn!"

 **(Takeo: 250 - Asami: 2200)**

"Right, then! I draw!" I declared, trying my best to remain undaunted. I looked down at my card, hoping for something that would destroy one of her cards at best. While it wasn't what I was thinking of, however, I was not disappointed. I played the card immediately, my voice shaking with excitement, a grin spreading across my face. "I activate the Magic Card "Defence" Sealing!"

The card that appeared on the field showed an image of a man in blue armour with a yellow cross design on his shield, a circle with a dot appearing in the centre of the cross. His helmet obscured his eyes, and his red clothing peeled out from underneath the armour. Over the top of the image was a large white cross.

"With this card, I can change one of your Defence Position monsters to Attack Position, and I choose Hiita!" I rapidly decided, not having much of a choice in the matter. "Your monster might be indestructible, but the damage can certainly get through!"

"Even so, it won't defeat me!" Hanazawa-san blurted, a wild grin on her face. "Your monster doesn't have enough Attack Points to wipe out my Life Points!l

"On its own, no, but with back-up, it just might!" I retorted, unable to keep excitement from entering my voice as I reached for another card in my hand. "From my hand, I Summon my Plague Wolf **(ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000)** in Attack Position!"

With a guttural howl, a shaggy wolf with pitch black fur walked slowly onto the field, tiny spots of purple flame rising from its body in some places, large bones poking through its decaying skin in others. Its eyes, one blue, one red, regarded Hiita with a hungry gaze, its long tongue lolling from its mouth.

With a quick glance at her hand, Hanazawa-san chuckled nervously. "You wouldn't activate its effect, would you...? That's overkill..."

With a glance at the cards on the floor and the fidgeting boy, who had remained silent throughout most of the Duel, I raised a hand to my chin, pretending to think it over. Finally, I stated, "You know what? I just might," my tone filled with mirth as I watched her pale considerably more. "I activate Plague Wolf's effect!" I declared with a grin. "In exchange for sending this card to the Graveyard at the end of the turn, I can double its Attack Points! This is the end of the line!"

The flames that sprouted from Plague Wolf's body seemed to grow in intensity as the monster let out a loud, deep, unearthly howl, baring its sharp fangs at Hiita who had begun to tremble in fear. With a hiss, Goku En crouched, ready to receive its orders, which I wasted no time in giving. With a gesture towards Hiita, I shouted, "Goku En, Plague Wolf, end this Duel!"

The two monsters did just that. Goku En raced forwards, Plague Wolf at his heels, both locking their jaws around Hiita's body as the girl screamed just like all the others, but unlike them, she wasn't allowed the mercy of being destroyed. In a panic, threw her fire in all directions, trying to no avail to throw off her attackers, yet accidentally striking the Duelist who had Summoned her in the process, who squealed as the virtual heat appeared to sear her without leaving real damage, causing her Life Points to drop to 0.

 **(Takeo: 250 - Asami: 0)**

 **(Winner: Takeo)**

There was a long silence as the monsters disappeared and our Duel Disks deactivated. Hanazawa-san fell to her knees in shock, staring up at me as I walked towards her, intending to ensure that she upheld her end of the bargain. She pulled herself to her feet as I stopped in front of her and looked down into my face.

"Who _are_ you...?" she asked quietly, watching me intently.

"Moriya Takeo," I responded bluntly.

"Moriya..." she mused softly, lapsing into silence for a few seconds before finally asking, "The shrine-owner's kid...?"

"The very one," I responded somewhat curtly before gesturing towards the cards on the floor. "I believe you have something to pick up."

With a quiet nod, Hanazawa-san averted her gaze and stepped around me, ignoring the boy against the wall as she crouched down to pick up the cards that she had haphazardly thrown to the ground. As she did so, I stepped towards the boy, bending down so that I could meet his gaze. Despite likely only being a year young than me, he really was just a tiny thing, and very shy if the way that he averted his eyes was any indication.

"You OK?" I asked quietly. "Not hurt or anything?"

"N-no... Thank you..." he responded, his voice almost too faint to hear.

I smiled in what I hoped was a disarming manner, hoping to make him feel a little more comfortable, something about him just making me want to help. "I'm Moriya Takeo. What's your name?" I questioned, happy to wait for a response, ignoring the fact that I'd usually be much more impatient and rough than this.

After a long pause, he met my gaze with an air of increased confidence, and said, "Katsu." Then with a small smile, "Koide Katsu."

 _ **~Yu-Gi-Oh! GX~**_

 _For reference, these are the card names and other terms in English in the order that they come:_

 _Skull Dog Maron = Skull Dog Marron_

 _Master Kyonshī = Master Kyonshee_

 _Attack Nullification = Negate Attack_

 _Eria the Water-Spirit Charmer = Eria the Water Charmer_

 _Mousetrap = Eatgaboon_

 _Aussa the Earth-Spirit Charmer = Aussa the Earth Charmer_

 _Emissaries of Reconciliation = Waboku_

 _Jigobyte = Jigabyte_

 _Daemon Eater = Nefarious Archfiend of Nefariousness_

 _Release = Tribute/Sacrifice_

 _Advance Summon = Tribute Summon_

 _Possession-Equipped Aussa = Familiar- Possessed - Aussa_

 _Magic Card = Spell Card_

 _Darkness Gear - Goku En = Malevolent Mech - Goku En_

 _Guard Block = Defence Draw_

 _Exclude = Banish/remove from play_

 _Instant Magic Card = Quick-Play Spell Card_

 _Rush = Rush Recklessly_

 _Hiita the Fire-Spirit Charmer = Hiita the Fire Charmer_

 _"_ _Defence" Sealing = Stop Defence_

 _Please keep in mind that I have chosen to refer to placement of the cards as 'Position' rather than 'Display' as it is hard to put 'Display' into a sentence and still make it seem grammatically correct. Many subbed also continue to use the term 'Position', so it's more recognisable for many people._

 _Also, please keep in mind that I'm British. As a result, the spelling of some card names may be changed to reflect this, so please don't feel confused if something hasn't been spelled in a way that you're used to seeing. I'm not changing it._

 **Finally, thank you so much for reading! Again, I'm sorry that I made you wait this long! This story is one of my babies, though, and a lot of planning went into it, so it won't be abandoned, even if it's been a long time since the last update. Don't** ** _ever_** **worry about that.**


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